Where Did You Go
by xXxrisenangelxXx
Summary: Three different versions of how Joel's wife left him.
1. Labor Pains

He was nervous. Hell, why wouldn't he be? He was the one who got Jessica pregnant. He was the stupid teen who suggested that they get married. He was so she stuck with him. God knows why.

Joel was working for her uncle. He didn't have much choice. Dad gave him no choice: "You got her knocked up, you're going to take care of her and that baby." Yes sir, he had replied.

Jessica's uncle owned a construction company that paid well, was always busy year round, and it was work he could do. Her uncle understood in a way and expected nothing less than the best from Joel.

"Stupid, so stupid," he grumbled at himself as he sat in the hall alone.

Everything had gone right with the pregnancy. Jessica was healthy and strong, as was the baby. Why then wasn't he allowed to see either?

Ma hadn't really looked at him properly since he had told her about Jessica. Jessica's family wanted almost nothing to do with him. He was alone and no one was telling him anything.

He started bouncing his foot as he sat there. What was taking so long?

He spotted a nurse at the desk and bolted to her. "Excuse me, ma'am?" he asked and she looked at him with a strained look. "My wife went into labor a few hours ago and I was ushered out. No one has told me anything. Do you know anything?"

"Her name?"

"Miller, Jessica Miller. Maybe Clarkson. I'm not sure what her mother put her under."

"Let me check."

She walked behind the desk and sifted through what looked like hundreds of files.

"Alright, Jessica Clarkson. This hasn't been updated yet. Let me go find her doctor and I'll be right back. Are you alone?"

"Yes."

"Okay. Be right back. Stay here."

And he waited again. His eyes stayed glued to the clock on the wall and ten minutes later the nurse and what he thought was a doctor came walking back.

"Mr. Miller?" the new woman asked and he nodded. "I am Jessica's doctor. I'm sorry you haven't been updated at all. I was told that only her parents were here."

"Oh."

"I'm sorry about that. What I'm about to tell you, I think you should sit down to hear."

Joel followed her back to the benches he had been sitting at. He sat down and waited.

"I'm very sorry to tell you this, but sometimes things like what I'm about to say happen, and it's my job to tell you. Everything went fine, but I'm so sorry to say that," Joel felt like his heart was in his throat, gut, everywhere, his body felt weird, "Jessica didn't make it."

Joel tensed. "J-Jess is dead," he gasped and his breaths quickened.

"But Sarah is perfectly fine, a very healthy baby. Eight pounds even and twenty inches long."

"S-Sarah?"

"Yes. I'll take you to her."

Joel felt like his world had stopped and flipped itself over again. Once wasn't enough? Jess coming up to him in homeroom and telling him she was pregnant was the first time he had ever felt like he did now.

He followed the doctor numbly and went they reached the nursery, it finally felt like his world had caught up again. Joel was a dad and he was going to be a damned good one.

"Come on in. We'll get you in some scrubs and you can hold her."

"What about Jessica's family?"

"They are still here, but I think you should talk to them after you've seen Sarah."

"Right."

"Do you have any family here?"

"No."

"Do you want to call them? You shouldn't be alone."

"I will later. I want to see Sarah."

The doctor nodded and handed a pair of scrubs to Joel. He put them on over his clothes and he felt his heart racing again. She led him to one of the cradles with a sleeping baby wearing a pink cap that was too big for her little head.

She picked Sarah up and handed her over to Joel. He cradled her in his arms and for the first time ever his heart felt too big for his body. He never wanted to give her up. He would fight tooth and nail to keep her. He had to. Jessica's parents would snatch Sarah away at the first glimpse that he might be doing a bad job. He would never let her go.

"So?"

"She is perfect," he answered and his face broke out into a grin. "My baby girl."


	2. No More

"I can't do it anymore, Joel," Jessica yelled once Sarah was asleep upstairs.

"Do what Jess?" he asked as he sat at the dining room table.

"This!" she answered, waving her arm in a gesture that said: the house. "This life, house, everything!"

"And what do you want?"

"I had a plan Joel!"

"And you don't think I didn't?"

"Oh, you wanted to be a singer. Whoop-de-fuckin-do! I was going to get out of this town!"

"Things change, Jessica. You know that."

"Yeah and thanks to you, everything changed."

"What do you want out of me? What is it that you want?! I work an hour away, all day, every fuckin day. If it weren't for your uncle giving me my job you'd be living at you're parents' house with your mother badgering you!"

"I want an entirely different life!"

"Well good luck with that."

"Damn it Joel. I can't do this anymore."

"Can't or won't?" he accused and and glared at her. She was always taking her anger out on him. She was a spoiled princess who always got what she wanted. She had wanted him, she got him. And now she was sick of him. Jessica wanted out? Well then she would get her way, damn it.

"I won't live this anymore. Daddy already has the papers for our divorce written up, all you have to do is sign."

Joel felt like he had just been shot in the gut. "I - what?!"

"Did you honestly think this was going to work out at all? Come on Joel. I married you because you asked and what girl doesn't want to feel like a princess?"

"What the fuck, Jessica?!" he yelled and stood. "Do you think this is some game? You can't just quit because _you_ feel like it and what _you_ want isn't just happening! Grow the fuck up, Jess!"

"This is exactly what I'm talking about!"

"What?"

"You want me to change all the time. Well guess what Joel, fuck you! I'm not going to just change because our circumstances have!"

"You are being such a child."

"And you're better than me?" she asked. "My uncle gave you that job because of me. Once I say a magic word, that job will be gone!"

"Bullshit! You want out? Then leave! Run to daddy because he'll give the spoiled brat whatever she wants! Who cares about what happens later! Daddy will just pay off whoever pissed off his princess anyways!"

"How dare you talk to me that way!"

"How dare I? Look around you Jess. You are the one that wants things to change! You are the one who doesn't love her family. You are the one who doesn't give two shits about her own daughter! Don't talk to me about what'r right because I can take whatever shit you throw at me!"

Jessica glared at him. "Fine. I'll leave."

"Good. Don't let the door hit your ass on the way out!"

She stormed out and slammed the front door as hard as she probably could.

Joel sunk back into his chair and heard her start her car and speed away. He couldn't believe what just happened.

"Daddy!" Sarah cried and he jolted out of his shock. "Daddy!"

"I'm coming baby girl," he called back and went upstairs with a heavy feeling on his chest. What was going to happen to Sarah? How were those papers written? Was he even going to get the chance to fight for Sarah? Was he just going to have to give her up?

"Hell no," he hissed and opened the door to Sarah's room. "What's wrong baby girl?"

She sniffed and raised her arms, reaching out to him. "Daddy!"

He sighed. "I'm coming." He picked her up and her arms wrapped around his neck like a vice. "Easy there, what's wrong, huh? Bad dream?"

She hiccuped and held on tighter to him. "Shh. I'm not going anywhere. How 'bout a movie?" She nodded and he smiled. He grabbed _The Little Mermaid_ VHS and carried her to their - now his - room.

Joel put her on the big bed and turned the TV on and put the VHS on. He had to rewind it a little because Sarah started chanting, "Begin." Once at the very beginning he pressed play, laid on the bed and cuddled Sarah in the crook of his arm.

Thirty minutes in and she was snoring. Joel kept watching and once Jodi Benson started singing through the credits he stopped it and hit rewind.

"I'll never give you up baby girl, no matter how much a fuss your mom puts up."


	3. Free Bird

The fact that he had gotten a call from Sarah's school at 3:30 demanding to know who was going to be picking up his daughter had him very concerned. Jess was never late in picking Sarah up, never ever late. He checked with Bruce to make sure he could leave, claimed emergency with Sarah, and sped the entire way to Sarah's school.

Once there he sprinted into the school office to see Sarah sitting in a chair and an extremely aggravated secretary making claims that if it happened again she was calling Child Protective Services and that Joel was a terrible father for leaving his daughter at school alone for almost two hours.

"Daddy, I'm hungry," Sarah chimed once they were outside.

"Mickey D's sound good?" he asked and she nodded excitedly. He helped her into the big truck and watched her buckle herself in.

He climbed into the driver's seat and started the truck. Sarah started telling him about her day at school, going into extreme detail over every recess and she felt like it could go forever. The last recess she stood up against Stanley Cooper, who was a head taller than her and a mean ol' bully. Joel promised her an Oreo McFlurry for that.

Once they got their food and were on the way home Joel grew anxious at what he would find at the house. Jessica cherished picking Sarah up. Always said it was the high light of her day. Why then did she not pick Sarah up?

"Daddy, flurry?" Sarah asked once she showed that she had finished her nuggets and fries.

"Yup, here you go," he said and handed her the treat.

She devoured the ice cream and when Joel pulled into the driveway, no car in sight, Sarah handed him the cup. "All done!"

"Good girl."

Once inside Joel noticed that everything was spotless. The house was never this clean. Something was definitely up. "You can watch TV Sarah," he said and walked into the kitchen. There was a note on the counter. It was in Jessica's curvy loopy writing and he stepped away from it.

Sarah's eyes were glued to the TV and the Fairly Odd Parents. He looked in every room for Jessica. When he reached their bedroom and saw that everything of hers was gone, his heart jumped. "The hell?" he asked and went back down to the kitchen.

He grabbed the note.

_'I'm sorry, I guess. Not really. I'm tired Joel. Tired of trying to be a happy family. Tired of lying, to you and everyone else. Tired of playing house wife and stay at home mom. I can't do it anymore. Tell Sarah I love her. I put my necklace on her dresser. Don't try to find me. I don't want to be found. I'm quitting you. How's that sound?'_

Joel read it another two times to be sure that what he read hadn't changed. "She just left?" he demanded and Sarah looked over at him.

"What?"

"Nothing," he answered and picked up the phone, calling Jessica's parents.

"Clarkson's," her mother answered.

"Where is she?" he asked.

"Joel? Who?"

"Jessica, where did she go?"

"I don't understand. Why are you asking this?"

"Because I have a note from her saying that she quits being my wife and my daughter's mother. You have to know where she would go."

"She's gone?"

"Yes."

"Joel, I do not know where she is. She hasn't talked to me in weeks."

"I have to go."

"Does she want to be found?"

"No."

"Maybe she just needs a break. She'll turn up."

"Right. Bye."

Joel hung the phone up.

He walked into the living room.

"Daddy?" Sarah asked as he sat next to her. "Where's Mom?"

"I don't know baby girl."


End file.
